Probably old news for most folks that post here but perhaps this will help someone down the line. I decided that I wanted to put a hog light on one my feeders at the deer lease. I thought about buying one of the Elusive Wildlife lights but (1) they are expensive, and (2) not weatherproof. So I decided to make one. I am sure I have less than $60 in materials in this project.

Solar Security Light: I bought this at Harbor Freight for $38. I think you can watch and pick them up for under $30. It is a 60 LED light unit, with a motion detector and solar panel. The lens cover is removable. I plan to get some translucent red or green plastic from Hobby Lobby or perhaps use one of the plastic document protector sleeves in red or green to make a "filter" to change the color from clear to red or green. Light is plenty bright. You can adjust it for (1) how long to remain on after no further motion is detected (up to 2 minutes), (2) the size of what trips the motion detector, and (3) how dark it needs to be for the unit to begin working.

Base: I used a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot, filled it with a bag of Quikrete and used a 1"x4"x6' board for the mount (in retrospect I think I would use a 4"x4" next time to make sure there is no significant risk of the board breaking). Mounted the light and solar panel on the 1"x4". Painted the whole thing black. Decided to put a game camera on the riser as well. Drilled a couple of holes in the bucket at the cement line to make sure the bucket drains when it rains.

Nice job! I can tell you're retired now :-)

fantastic Mike .. i just need the filter parts!

Mike,

I'd drive in 3 pieces of #4 rebar into the ground at equidistant angles and wire the riser securely. If you don't, most likely your hog light will be destroyed and scattered to the winds. Boars and large sows are incredibly powerful and will tip over that in a hertbeat.

ya!

GWB

. . . I plan to bury ~2/3 of the bucket.

Hope the motion-sensor activated light works out for you. In my experience, when a light comes on suddenly, it spooks the hogs. I use the landscape lights that come on at dusk and stay on most of the night.

ought to be a great scratchin post for the piggies.....I've found out that unless its made of steel, pigs will destroy anything in a short time....

I have had fairly good luck using the various on at dusk/off at dawn solar powered yard lights.

I wire them to the legs of the feeders and then wire the solar panels so that they charge nearly all day.

I like the looks of it Mike.
But, like the guys that know, say pigs will tip it over and you'll be making a new one in short order.
Doubt there's many pigs in the back yard there.

Thanks for sharing.

Friend in CA just sent me a couple thin plastic sheets, red n green for a mil CP spot light. Gets hot but hasn't melted in a full two minutes. The rim has 1/4" raised areas and open between. Taped on the rim, it puts the film a full 3/8" above the glass lens these open areas allow the heat to dissapate. He got 'em over 20 yrs ago and has no idea where they came from.
Plastic source I contacted wants to sell 3'x4' sheets for about $35 each plus s/h. Out of reason for a 5' dia piece I wanted.

Have fun,
George

I have been buying the solar powered security lights at Northern Tool. They usually last a season or two. I typically screw them into a nearby tree.

Haven't had any issues with pigs running off when the light comes on.

They have worked great.

quote:

Originally posted by 470Evans:
I typically screw them into a nearby tree.

. . . that's an interesting idea.

I have both white and green "feeder lights". They come on at dark thirty and go off at the crack of dawn. Don't bother the hogs a bit!

ya!

GWB

I have some inexpensive green led lights from Amazon. Solar powered and come on at dark. They don't have large enough panels or batteries to run all night, and honestly the pigs haven't waited late enough for me to test them too much.

Great idea Mike!
Make a triangle guard out of some very short pieces of hog panels and rebar those in to support the fence around the bucket!

Got my homemade light working, used a 10W green LED that runs from Dusk for 10 hours and then shuts off. 12V battery and a 50Watt panel should run until battery wears out. Put light up on a 12ft pole this weekend over my feeder. Floods a big area with deep green light.








Working on a smaller motion sensor model know with a 5 watt panel and feeder battery that has been working for about 3 weeks, so i think its about ready for primetime.